1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a rail apparatus and more specifically to a rail apparatus that is attachable to a support surface such as a set of telescoping bleachers and is capable of being rotated to various positions and remaining attached to the support surface when the support surface is in either an extended, open position or a retracted, closed position.
2. Description of Prior Art
It is important, on various types of support structures from retractable bleachers in school gymnasiums to concrete outdoor steps, to provide hand rails or supports to aid people ascending and descending the support structure.
Traditionally, hand rails have been bolted directly to the support structures and are permanently attached in one position. Examples of these types of rails may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,964,215, 4,571,895, 4,014,522 and 4,014,523.
When the rails are permanently attached in one position, they either prevent collapsible support surfaces such as bleachers from being retracted into a closed position or they must be removed before closing the support surface.
One solution to this problem has been rail systems that incorporate an attachment system that allows the rail to be easily removed and stored in a separate location when the support structure is in a stored position. U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,663 exemplifies this solution.
Another solution to the problem present in collapsible bleacher systems that have rails is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,997,165, 4,006,564, 4,361,991, and 3,788,608 which all provide systems that allow the rails to swivel partially and either lay flat, lean at an angle from or abut against the bleacher system when it is in a retracted or closed position. However, all of these systems require the rail to be located at an outer edge of the support surface. None of the patented inventions allow for the rails to be located within the interior of the collapsible bleacher systems.
And yet, another example of a rail system that allows for the rails to be rotated from one position to another while still being attached to the support surface is that found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,820,110. This system also limits the rails to being located at the outer edges of the support surface and would not operate properly if it were relocated to the interior portion of the support surface.
It is therefore desirable to have a rail apparatus that is permanently attached to a collapsible support system and is rotatable so as to allow the handle portion of the rail apparatus to move between various positions and would allow for the support structure to be placed in a storage position without removing the rail apparatus. Such a rail apparatus would also be capable of being placed within the interior of the support surface, not just at the edges, so as to provide support to users ascending and descending the support structure in the middle thereof.
While the above stated devices are a fair representation of the current prior art, there remains room for improvement as defined by the currently claimed invention.